The Countess and the Black Knight
by Catherine Morgan
Summary: Season 3. Sir Guy is at the palace and catches the eye of Prince John's cousin. They have a plan to capture Robin Hood and it brings them together but then the plan fails and cracks begin to appear. Rated M for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

The Countess and the Black Knight

Disclaimer: I do not own Robin Hood. BBC has the rights to this particular adaptation.

Sir Guy was taken to London at Prince John's orders. The Prince was sat with his much younger Cousin, the countess Jane of Gloucester when his prisoner was brought forward. She couldn't help herself. It had been a while since a strikingly handsome man had been in her presence. Jane smiled at him and motioned for him to be released.

"Is that any way to treat a suitor?" She asked.

Sir Guy looked alarmed and Prince John sent her a warning look and put his hand on the arm of her chair.

"No my dear Countess. If I was to see you married it would not be to a man as incompetent as this one," explained Prince John.

The Countess remained unconvinced of her Cousin's warning. She tilted her head and smiled at the black knight; who was quite convinced he was going to lose his head at any moment.

"He looks competent enough to me, young, strong and not unpleasant to look at. Why are you so angry with him? How on earth can you be angry with such a man?" She asked.

Prince John rolled his eyes. He was clearly used to and accepting of his Cousin's carefree way that she complimented a man on his appearance but it wasn't doing anything to ease Sir Guy's mind over losing his head or being imprisoned.

"Because pretty though his face is; the man cannot kill a simple outlaw." Explained Prince John.

The Countess simply rolled her eyes and waited for Sir Guy to defend himself but he remained silent as the grave. She then smiled sweetly at him and addressed him personally, even though it was pretty clear that the problem of Robin Hood and his men, was simply no excuse to arrest such a man.

"The floor is yours handsome," she encouraged.

Sir Guy was uncomfortable with a woman of high standing freely complimenting him after all he had done. Surely she was aware of his history? He cleared his throat and tried to excuse his lack of success.

"My men and I are no match for the many villagers who defend and protect him and his gang. I simply don't have the man power," explained Sir Guy.

Before the Prince could challenge him, the Countess took pity on him.

"You poor thing. Don't worry troubled one. I'm sure between us we can send you home with the right skills and equipment needed to bring down this outlaw," suggested Jane.

The Prince glared at her but the Countess seemed not to notice or realize that as far as he was concerned she was in more danger than he was.

"Is that so? Tell me sweet and innocent Cousin of mine, how you suppose we do that?" He asked, his anger increasing.

The Countess had a smile on her face and seemed unconcerned with Prince John's expression. As for Sir Guy he couldn't believe his luck. He still had his head and a member of the royal family willing to help him.

"Your highness this man doesn't need judgment. He needs support and help with his issue with the outlaws. He needs men, weapons and tools. You can't expect him to do it all alone. Get him a chair and some wine. We can discuss it together," she advised. 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do now own Robin Hood.

The Countess of Gloucester was like no other woman that Sir Guy had ever come across. He was aware that some women found him attractive but he had never had one spare his life when she hardly knew him. On top of that she had organised a room and fresh clothes for him to wear during his stay. This woman had more power than anyone he had ever met. She had no fear of her cousin and managed to convince him to award Sir Guy rather than punish him.

The wound Marian had left hadn't even started to heal. Despite the most comfortable and large bed that he had ever been on he still couldn't sleep. If he was lucky he might have rested his eyes for ten minutes before he decided to explore the palace to kill the night time hours.

Sir Guy happened upon the kitchens and wondered what was on offer at such an hour. It turned out he wasn't the only night time wonderer in the castle. The Countess was sat at the table eating something he couldn't make out.

"Chocolate. It's too good to leave alone. If Prince John caught me I'd be in trouble mind. Delicious but not known as a health food or flattering the figure. You'll keep my secret won't you?" She asked.

Sir Guy nodded. It wasn't like he had a choice as she had saved his neck from one fate or another, as far as he was concerned turning a blind eye over a midnight snack wasn't exactly a fair trade for his life.

"Of course Countess. You have my word. After all I owe you..." he began.

The Countess shook her head and waved his gratitude to one side.

"Stuff and nonsense Sir Guy! I'm not about to let my Cousin ruin his best chance of an outlaw free Nottingham. I'm not deaf or stupid. You have the ability to go far in life but you're just missing a few essentials," added the Countess.

Sir Guy couldn't see how a few extra men was going to help him capture Robin Hood but he was loathed to argue with someone who had taken a shine to him and spared him torture or death.  
The Countess finished her food and stood up. Sir Guy stood out of respect but she made a lowering gesture with her hand. Before he knew it there was bread and meat served to him by the Countess herself.

"You need to keep your strength up. Tomorrow you'll train with John's personal guard and I'm not going to lie to you, it will be tough..." she began.

"Why am I doing this?" He asked.

"To see what you are made of, see if we can improve your skills. Not that I'm saying you're not capable of fighting but we need to get to the root of the problem," she explained.

Sir Guy pushed his food to one side. He did not care to be patronised at such a late hour by someone who had no idea what he had been through.

The Countess knew she had touched a nerve and sighed at him.

"Come come now. Don't be angry with me Sir Guy. I have faith in you and I am sure that you will put them all through their paces," she added.

Sir Guy glared at her.

"I am not here for your amusement," he explained.

The Countess shrugged lightly.

"No one said anything about amusement Sir Guy. It is within the best interests of everyone that we solve your outlaw issue. John's way would have seen you beaten and imprisoned. My way keeps you safe and gives you everything you might need to achieve your goal. If you don't want that, you are a guest and free to go whenever you like," suggested Jane.

How could he go back? The sheriff would be shocked to see him unharmed but if he went back with supplies and money he would be sick.

"I'll stay," he announced.

The Countess seemed happy with his decision and raised a glass to him in appreciation.

"I'm glad Sir Guy. Don't look so worried. Honestly view this as a break from Vasey and Nottingham. Recharge and re-evaluate if you wish," suggested Jane. 


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Robin Hood.

Sir Guy was put through his paces as Prince John looked on. The Countess was busy elsewhere for the time being and the Prince was quite glad of that fact, he was getting pretty tired of his cousin lusting over the black knight. However, he had to admit that she was right about him. He was a strong and capable fighter. Until one guard got a lucky swipe at him only to be met with a severe punch to the face and a few kicks for good measure.

"That will do Gisborne or I shall have no men to send back to Nottingham with you," ordered Prince John.

Sir Guy lowered his sword and the Countess picked that moment to appear next to her cousin.

"How did he do?" She asked, breathless, as though she had made every effort to watch the entire performance.

"See for yourself. I have a yard full of men on the ground and Gisborne still standing with nothing but a little cut to his arm," he replied.

The Countess looked sympathetic at Sir Guy and the Prince rolled his eyes as she walked down to the knight. He watched with pained eyes as she fussed over him. Then she took him away to personally tend to his wound and the Prince knew that nothing good would come of her fussing over him.

"I'm fine," stated Sir Guy.

"I'm sure you are but a little water and a bandage will make it even better," she encouraged.

Sir Guy had no choice. He made no sound as she lifted his sleeve over the cut and began to lightly dab the blood away from his skin.

"I'm afraid I was detained with a few issues so I missed your performance. However judging by the amount of injured men I passed on my way to you, you were a success," she explained.

"Meaning?" Asked Sir Guy, impatiently.

"There's no reason not to send you on your way as soon as we can get everything together," replied the Countess.

Sir Guy did not look too impressed. He had shown them that he was a force to be reckoned with and he didn't want to play any games with her or the Prince.

"How long do you expect that to take?" He asked.

The Countess was putting on a bandage as she replied.

"Men need to make arrangements, your weapons need making and the beast needs training," she explained.

Sir Guy had no idea what the Countess meant by the beast, for a moment he thought she was giving him an unpleasant nickname. He followed her into the grounds of the castle and she ordered the guards to let them by.

"What is your plan Countess?" Asked Sir Guy.

She didn't answer him. Instead he heard the sound of growling followed by an almighty roar in response to his question. He was startled and looked questioningly at the Countess, who was remarkably calm considering the noise they had just heard.

"See for yourself," she encouraged.

Sir Guy looked suspicious with good reason. He followed the sounds of the beast and found men toying with a male lion with rags like the outlaws wore. It was genius and he was impressed much to his surprise.

"This is for me?" He asked.

"Actually I was going to say it's for Robin Hood but in a way it is for you. Are you in a hurry Sir Guy?" Asked the Countess.

Sir Guy looked impatient and shrugged. He knew that he was the worst person to deal with royalty, especially a slip of a girl of around twenty two who clearly had a fancy for him, based on his appearance alone. She had no idea what he was capable of or how dark his soul was and he was determined to keep her at a distance.

"I want him dead and I want him dead as soon as possible," replied Sir Guy.

"I understand Sir Guy but these things take planning and time. Lions are especially hard to train and with such an animal we can't afford any mistakes," explained the Countess.

Sir Guy understood what the Countess was saying but it didn't ease his mind or answer his question. The Countess could tell he was chomping at the bit to get going and put her hand on his arm.

"Two more weeks Sir Guy. Permit us that long," suggested the Countess.

Prince John was concerned about his cousin and called her away from Sir Guy and took her back inside. It was a long way back into the palace and the Countess could tell that he was not happy with her fawning over Sir Guy.

"You are difficult enough to remarry without associating with a murderer," he explained.

The Countess rolled her eyes and seemed unconcerned about her guest's reputation as a killer; as far as she was concerned the woman must have done something to deserve it.

"Remind me why I was a widow at twenty one. You're the one who sentenced him to death," she pointed out.

"He was going to the holy land to tell tales that you know aren't true," added Prince John.

Sir Guy had been eves dropping on the royals, as he had decided to follow them to make sure that he was in no danger for being killed for getting a little too close with the Countess. He was interested as to why the Countess wasn't part of his plans to take over the country. He walked away and took in what he had learned. He knew that the Countess was no innocent but for her to be widowed so young was surely a necessary inconvenience to Prince John.

Then there was the fact that she had an obvious tenderness for him. He could do a lot worse than the Prince and King's cousin. Either way the war went he was protected because although not innocent in the ways of men, she was concerning the battle for the crown. Jane was no Marian but at least she had feelings for him and would be the wife he deserved. Perhaps he could use the rest of his time with them encouraging her to ask Prince John if she can marry him? 


End file.
